1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a support assembly for mounting wheels or casters to a frame member of a stroller and it relates, more particularly, to a support assembly which can readily be installed and removed without the need for tools and which can be interchangeably employed on either the front wheels or the rear wheels of a stroller and, further, is structured to accommodate a wheel brake when employed on either a front or rear wheel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A common child stroller has a tubular frame structure with four legs extending downwardly from a seat arrangement. Each of the legs is fitted at its distal end with a support assembly for mounting wheels or casters. The mounting of the wheels or casters is such that the two forward support assemblies swivel and the rear support assemblies are positioned in fixed alignment. This construction has been found to enable satisfactory steering capability for the stroller.
A form of support assembly for mounting casters to a stroller frame member is disclosed in Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,941. As shown therein, a first sleeve is secured to a tubular frame segment extending from the main chassis of the stroller by a rivet. A second sleeve slides over the first sleeve. The second sleeve includes a cap-like element which contains a spring. The spring biases or cushions an axle extending through the cap-like element which, in turn, supports a pair of casters. The second sleeve is provided with a flexible tab or buckle arrangement which is structured for interconnection with a lower flange on the first sleeve to provide removable, swiveling engagement of the second sleeve with the first sleeve and enables removal of the second sleeve with the casters from the frame member. Thus, a swivelable, disconnectable mounting arrangement is provided for the casters making the stroller steerable.
While the foregoing mounting arrangement is acceptable from the standpoint of providing a removable caster support assembly, this arrangement is structured to function only in a swivelable manner and is not capable of being fixedly mounted. In this connection, it is desirable to provide a mounting assembly which is not only easy to install and remove, but an assembly which can be used interchangeably for either the front or rear casters of a stroller. Typically, the rear casters are not arranged to swivel. Clearly, the interchangeability of the mounting assemblies of the present invention from front to rear casters results in lower stocking and production costs which will reduce the cost of a stroller.